Improvement in holdbacks for vehicles



H. B.- HILL. Holdbaek for Vehicles.

No. 215,359. Patented May13, 1879.

e WI TJV' ESSES /xm v y We@ UNI'FIDu STATES. PATENT OFFICEi HAMPTON E. HILL, OF BIDDEFORD, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HOLDBACKS FOR VEHICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,359, dated May 13, 1879; application ljled February 19, 1879.

To all 'whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HAMPTON E. HILL, of Biddeford, in the county of York, and in the State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breeching- Hooks; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification. l

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a breechinghook, which has for its object to prevent accidents when from any cause a horse shall go out of the thills when the breeching-straps are hooked by allowing the straps to escape from the hooks, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure lis a side view, and Fig. 2 a plan view, of my invention.

My improved breeching-hook consists of a post, A, formed with a shoulder at b, and a thread cut upon it below the shoulder, a guard and brace, B, and a steel spring, C. The post A is screwed into the thill D up to the shoulder b,wl1en the end of the guard and brace B will lie against the thill, and may be fastened thereto by a screw, a.

The brace and guard prevent the breechin g-strap from being caught upon the back of the post A when the horse goes out of the thill, by sliding the strap over the top of the post. The brace and guard B have a lateral curve inward toward the horse, as shown at d, to prevent the strap from bearing upon it in its oblique direction toward the horse.

The spring G allows the breeching-strap to escape when the horsegoes out of the thills by the spring being raised by the wedge-like action ofthe straps.

These hooks may be made of steel wholly, or the spring of steel and the post and guard of malleable iron; or the post and guard may be made of cast-iron, annealed or otherwise prepared, and the steel spring riveted or otherwise fastened thereto.

I am aware that abreeching-hook composed of a post, a brace, and a springis broadly not new, and l do not claim such as my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the post A, formed with the screw b, the Yspring C, and the brace B, curved, as shown at d, and fastened to the shaft by a screw, a, and all constructed substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of January, 1879.

HAMPTON E. HILL.

Witnesses:

EDWIN SWEETSER, FRANCIS J. GOODWIN. 

